Local government reform and the socioeconomic gap in Israel

Amir Levi, Tal Wolfson, Steven W. Popper, Shira Efron, Anamarie A. Whitaker, Jennifer J. Li, Center for Middle East Public Policy (Rand Corporation), Rand Corporation

The local governance level in Israel has historically been weak compared with the power of the national government. Many of the issues regarding socioeconomic development and access to opportunity in the wider economy are best addressed at this level. This report discusses three key aspects of Israeli municipalities, with a view toward strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of local government in Israel, particularly in recruiting personnel to become more-active agents for change. First, the authors make the case for adopting a regional approach to address the fragmented nature of municipal governance and overcome some of the key obstacles confronted when dealing with the problems faced by individual small and poor municipalities. Second, they lay out a model for the hiring and placement of personnel in managerial municipal positions as a partial solution for cronyism and the...